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UW Professors to Discuss Research at Gillette Saturday U Program

October 18, 2013 — Area residents have the opportunity to go back to college
for a day -- minus the tests, stress and homework -- with three University of
Wyoming professors lecturing Saturday, Oct. 26, in Gillette for the fall term
of Saturday U -- the University of Wyoming's free one-day college education
program.

Buffalo Bill Cody’s legacy in Europe; the science of
superheroes in today’s world; and what Wyoming residents can expect from the Affordable
Care Act (Obamacare) are among Saturday U topics to be discussed from 8:30
a.m.-1:45 p.m. at the Gillette College main building presentation hall.

A half-day of college classes and discussion begins with
refreshments at 8:30 a.m., followed by a welcoming address at 8:45 a.m. The guest
lectures begin at 9 a.m.

In its fifth year, Saturday U is a collaborative program
that connects popular UW professors with lifelong learners. Offered six times a
year -- twice each in Jackson, Gillette and Sheridan -- Saturday U is sponsored
by the university, the UW Foundation and Wyoming Humanities Council, and is
presented locally by Gillette College.

Participants may attend one, two or all three lectures in
Jackson, plus the final luncheon and roundtable discussion at 12:45 p.m. The
program is free and open to the public.

Listed are program topic descriptions and UW representatives
lecturing:

9 a.m. -- “Buffalo Bill’s Legacy: Finding the West and
Westerners in Contemporary Italy,” Renee Laegreid, UW Department of History
associate professor. Beginning in 1889, Buffalo Bill took his Wild West Show
overseas throughout Europe. After his shows, memories of the cowboys, cowgirls
and Native Americans remained topics of conversation for years, even
generations.

In Italy, Buffalo Bill and his Wild West shows continue to
shape the Italian perspective of the American West, inspiring an increasing
interest in American Western culture and literature, American-style rodeo,
“western riding” (reining and cutting competitions) and the growth of the American
quarter horse industry.

10:15 a.m. -- “Superheroic Science,” Mike Brotherton, UW
Department of Physics and Astronomy associate professor. Superheroes are more
popular than ever, with comic book characters reaching new and vast audiences
through blockbuster movies and big-budget video games, Brotherton says.

“Often, the science of superheroes is so implausible that they're
best treated as fantasy,” he says. “Still, many superheroes are based in
science and technology.” Brotherton identifies and analyzes science and fantasy
in these characters and films, and discusses what it reveals about the modern
world.

11:30 a.m. -- “Obamacare: The Sound and the Fury and the
Economics,” Anne Alexander, UW International Programs director. The Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is coming into effect with
plenty of sound and fury. Alexander, a policy economist, explores the
Affordable Care Act’s impact on health care costs, the uninsured, employers,
the federal budget and the economy. Does it get at the root of some of our most
insidious health care system problems? How will this affect Wyoming? Alexander
will explore these topics.

Photo:Buffalo Bill Cody took his Wild West show to Rome in 1890.
Cody’s influence in Italy will be among topics discussed during Saturday U.
Oct. 26 in Gillette. (UW Department of History)